A Galaxy of features for a serious price
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G From €1,299 ★★★★★
Working from home for almost a year, I’ve become more reliant on my phone, despite talking less. Whether it’s work emails or family Zoom calls, I reach for my phone first, rather than laptop or tablet. While a phone is the smallest computer I own, it needs a big screen and serious horsepower under the hood.
The latest top-tier phone that meets those criteria is Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. The 5G is self-explanatory, so I should get the benefit of the fastest cellular connection available when I’m out of the house.
The Ultra tag, that Samsung places on its premium devices, implies that this phone has the performance more of us need these days. Packing the fastest chip ever in a Galaxy, there’s a choice of 128, 256 or 512GB options.
The 6.8in screen looks as big as it
SO MANY CAMERA TOOLS YOU’LL NEVER USE THEM ALL
sounds, but the phone’s ergonomic design makes it easy to hold and use with one hand. The screen has a refresh rate of 120Hz, which makes for wonderfully smooth scrolling, all the more important on a screen this size.
Available from carriers in Phantom Black and Phantom Silver, the matte finish has improved from the last model and there’s less shine and almost more depth of colour in the slim casing. It is IP68 rated and should withstand a brief dunking if you drop it, and there is Gorilla Glass.
The back of the phone has been somewhat divisive amongst Samsung fans. Called Contour Cut, the cameras are mounted in a raised block that is so seamless, it looks to have been made from a single block of metal.
The cameras set-up is impressive. There’s a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 108MP main camera and two 10MP telephoto cameras. As well as the optical zoom, there’s a 100x Space Zoom feature. Samsung has added a tripod lock feature that steadies the 30 and 100x zoom levels, stopping your subjects from jumping around as you try to capture longdistance shots.
The S21 Ultra is packed with so many camera and video tools that you’ll probably never use them all. Notable features, though, include the improved Portrait mode. Using artificial intelligence, the subject is almost lifted out of the background making for fabulous bokeh pictures.
Also notable are the zoom capabilities, and while the 100x Space Zoom is novel, the 30x delivers outstanding, clear images, unthinkable on a smartphone just a couple of years ago.
As good as they are, there’s more to this new phone than photography. A feature called Motion Mirror lets you project your fitness routine from the phone to your smart TV, but you can cast your own image also, so you see your moves alongside that of your instructor on the TV.
There’s also the powerful ability to run mobile apps from your Windows 10 PC, using a feature called Link to Windows, opening up a multitude of opportunities for productivity.
As well as that, the integration of S Pen compatibility also adds useful functionality for business users or video editors.
Despite being capable of shooting 8K video, there is no MicroSD slot. If you do shoot lots of high-quality video this means you don’t have the convenience of popping out a memory card for easy transfer. You’ll have to use WiFi or a USB cable for data transfer so you don’t eat up all your onboard storage.
A serious consideration will of course be the price, with the 512GB version costing €1,479.
If you are already a user of last year’s model, you needn’t rush to upgrade.
However, if you’re using a two or three-year-old Android phone and want to upgrade, the S21 Ultra really is at the pinnacle of smartphone tech and design.